Bonnie Peck, Reality Check/Youth Engagement Coordinator with Advancing Tobacco Free Communities in Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie Counties and Hannah Pizza, nurse practitioner with the Middleburgh Healthy Zone- Bassett Healthcare’s school-based health program recently teamed up to help dispel vaping myths among Middleburgh school students. At the invitation of Matthew Sloane, Middleburgh Junior and Senior High School Principal, the duo set out to educate students and staff in grades 7-12 about...

Youth and adults are invited to Crossgates Mall in the Albany suburb of Westmere, New York on Saturday, June 1, 2019 to play “Tobacco Trouble” – an interactive, life-sized board game hosted by Reality Check youth from the greater capital region.  Reality Check youth will observe World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) by educating community members about tobacco marketing tactics, youth tobacco use, and the benefits of tobacco-free outdoor areas.  “Tobacco Trouble”, and other educational activities, will...

New York State (NYS) Tobacco Control Partners and Reality Check youth visited Albany February 4 to talk with lawmakers about the success of their programs at lowering the NYS adult smoking rate to 14.2 percent as well as unmet needs in tobacco control. In The Well of the Legislative Office Building, youth leaders hosted an interactive, life-sized board game called “Tobacco Trouble” set up to highlight recent tobacco control successes and the continued fight against Big Tobacco and how the...

Advancing Tobacco Free Communities-Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie Counties (ATFC-DOS) was a winner in Counter Tobacco’s recent 2018 Point-of-Sale Photo contest. ATFC-DOS had the winning photo in the Tobacco Look-a-Likes category entitled “Trick or Treat? Bubble Gum and Candy Cigarettes”.COUNTERTOBACCO.ORG is a comprehensive resource for local, state and federal organizations working to counteract tobacco product sales and marketing at the point-of-sale (POS). In an effort to assist with POS...

The NYS Smokers' Quitline, headquartered at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY, recently launched a fully updated, redesigned and mobile-ready website www.nysmokefree.com  Enhanced visuals, easier-to-read text and navigation that is more intuitive will help visitors quickly find the latest resources on tobacco cessation.The NYS Smokers’ Quitline is a service of the NYS Department of Health. It is one of the first and busiest state quitlines in the nation, and has responded...

Over the last decade, as evidence of the dangers of secondhand smoke have increased, many communities, organizations and agencies have enacted tobacco-free policies that include outdoor areas. In fact, more than 470 New York State municipalities have adopted tobacco-free outdoor area policies. Two most recent examples include the Town of Stamford and Village of Delhi in Delaware County. The Town of Stamford and Village of Delhi are committed to enhancing visitors’ enjoyment of clean air,...

Peter Camporese, the owner of the newly opened Middleburgh Pharmacy & Medical Supplies at Middleburgh Meadows is committed to providing a high quality of life for everyone who patronizes his retail establishment and services. Because the sale of tobacco products that are deadly and addictive when used as directed runs counter to the services provided by the pharmacy, the sale of all tobacco products and paraphernalia is prohibited. Peter recently worked with Advancing Tobacco Free...

Despite the 80-degree temperatures in Richmond, VA on Thursday, May 17, a cold front passed through downtown just in time for the Altria Group shareholders annual meeting. The icy blast, expected to storm through the area around the Richmond Convention Center, included 60 youth from Reality Check New York and No Limits Nebraska carrying snowmen puppets and ice cube shaped balloons. This winter of discontent, a third annual pilgrimage for the Reality Check teens from across New York State, was...

Catholic Charities is committed to creating a safe and healthy work environment for all employees and individuals and families served by the agency. The agency recently worked with Advancing Tobacco Free Communities in Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie Counties to develop a policy for its Cobleskill office at 489 West Main Street. Catholic Charites will maintain tobacco-free grounds with the exception of a specific area designated for tobacco use. All employees, volunteers, clients and visitors...